Key Takeaways
- The court fee to apply for a civil partnership dissolution in England and Wales is £628, the same as for a divorce.
- Making a financial agreement legally binding through a consent order costs a further £62. Asking the court to decide your finances costs £321.
- Solicitor fees are separate and depend on how much help you need and how much you and your partner agree on.
- You may be able to get help with court fees if you’re on a low income or receive certain benefits.
When a civil partnership ends, money worries tend to arrive at the worst possible moment. One household is about to become two, and you might have no idea whether ending things legally will cost a few hundred pounds or several thousand.
It doesn’t help that most of the guidance out there is written about divorce. Civil partnership dissolutions are far less common. The latest Office for National Statistics figures show 959 dissolutions in England and Wales in 2025, compared with more than 105,000 divorces. So it’s easy to feel like you’re piecing it together on your own.
This guide sets out what a dissolution actually costs, from the fixed court fees to the parts that vary, and how to keep the total down. If you’d like to talk through your own situation, Osbourne Pinner offers a free 30-minute consultation with our civil partnership solicitors.
How much is the court fee to dissolve a civil partnership?
The fee to apply for a dissolution is £628. It’s the same whether you apply alone or jointly, and whether you apply online or by post. You pay it when you submit the application, and it isn’t refunded once the court issues it. GOV.UK explains how to end a civil partnership and pay the fee.
The fee went up from £612 on 13th July 2026, so you’ll still see the old figure on plenty of websites. If you’re on a low income or receive certain benefits, you might be able to get help with the fee through the Help with Fees scheme. On a joint application, you both need to qualify. If only one of you is eligible, it can make sense for that person to apply alone.
There’s no extra court fee for applying for the conditional order or the final order in the normal way. For lots of couples, the £628 is the only court fee for the dissolution itself.
What other court fees might you pay?
The dissolution ends the partnership, but it doesn’t deal with money, property or children. If you need the court’s involvement on those, there are separate fees:
- £62 to apply for a financial consent order, which makes an agreement about your finances legally binding.
- £321 to apply for a financial order if you can’t agree and need the court to decide.
- £270 to apply for a child arrangements order if you have children and can’t agree where they’ll live or how they’ll spend time with each of you.
Most couples who agree on their finances only ever pay the £62. The £321 route is usually where costs start to climb, because contested financial proceedings involve disclosure, hearings and far more legal work.
How much do solicitors charge for a civil partnership dissolution?
This is the part that varies most, because it depends on how much help you need. Broadly, there are three levels.
- At the simplest level, a solicitor prepares and manages the dissolution application for you. This is predictable work, and many firms price it as a fixed fee, so it’s worth asking whether one is available. Online services also offer to handle the paperwork cheaply, but they generally won’t advise you on whether your financial arrangements are fair.
- The next level is targeted advice on the finances. Here, a solicitor checks what you and your partner have agreed, explains whether it’s fair and drafts the consent order. Plenty of people handle the application themselves and pay for this part only.
- The most expensive level is representation when you can’t agree. That usually means negotiation, full financial disclosure and potentially court hearings, which is normally charged by the hour. Costs rise with things like property in different names, significant pensions, a business, assets abroad or a partner who won’t engage.
Whatever level you need, ask for a written estimate before any work starts, and ask what would make the cost go up.
Why do the finances usually cost more than the dissolution?
Because they’re a separate legal process, and they’re where the real decisions sit. Under the Civil Partnership Act 2004, civil partners can make the same kinds of financial claims against each other as married couples, including claims over property, savings, pensions and maintenance.
Skipping the financial order to save money can end up being the most expensive choice of all. Without one, claims between you can stay open even after the dissolution is final, so either of you could bring a claim years later. A consent order with a clean break closes that door for good. Pensions can only be shared through a court order too, so an informal agreement to split one isn’t enough.
Our financial settlement solicitors advise civil partners on this side of things. If you’d like a rough idea of how your assets might be divided before speaking to anyone, our free Divorce Settlement Calculator is a useful place to start.
Is dissolving a civil partnership cheaper than a divorce?
Not really. Since April 2022, dissolution and divorce have worked in almost exactly the same way. Both are no-fault, both carry the same £628 court fee and both take at least 26 weeks from issue to final order. The financial claims are the same too, so the overall cost of ending a civil partnership tends to track the cost of an equivalent divorce.
What drives the cost is the same in both cases: how much you agree on and how complicated your finances are. Our step-by-step guide on how to end a civil partnership walks through the process itself.
Who pays the costs of a dissolution?
The person who submits the application pays the court fee, although couples often agree to split it, especially on a joint application. If you’re sharing the fee, it’s sensible to have your partner’s contribution before you pay.
Legal fees are a different matter. In financial proceedings, the general rule is that each person pays their own legal costs. The court can depart from that if one person behaves unreasonably, for example by refusing to provide financial information or dragging things out, but you shouldn’t assume your partner will be ordered to cover your bill.
How can you keep the cost down?
The single biggest factor is how much you and your partner can agree between you. Beyond that, a few practical steps make a real difference:
- Gather bank statements, pension valuations, mortgage details and payslips early, so your solicitor isn’t chasing paperwork.
- Be completely open about your finances. Hidden or late information is one of the quickest ways to add cost and delay.
- Use a solicitor for the parts that carry the most risk, such as checking a financial agreement and drafting the consent order.
- Check whether you qualify for help with court fees before you apply.
- If you have children, agree arrangements early where you can. Our free Child Maintenance Calculator can help you sense-check the figures.
For more on how costs build up when both people agree, see our guide to what a divorce costs when both of you agree. The same principles apply to civil partnerships.
Get clear advice on ending your civil partnership
Not knowing what a dissolution will cost can keep people stuck in a situation that isn’t working, or push them into cutting corners on the finances to save money. A short conversation early on can give you a realistic idea of cost and show you where advice matters most.
At Osbourne Pinner, our civil partnership solicitors help clients through every stage of a dissolution, from the application to financial settlements and arrangements for children. We’ll explain your options in plain English and give you a clear view of costs before any work begins.
Please note that this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. We always recommend speaking to a qualified solicitor for advice tailored to your specific circumstances.
We offer a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your situation, Monday to Friday. You can speak with us via video call or visit our offices in Piccadilly Circus, Canary Wharf, Wimbledon, Harrow or Manchester. To arrange your consultation, call 0203 983 5080, email [email protected] or complete the form below. We do not offer Legal Aid.
